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Order

The order Cetacea is represented in California by the following taxa:

Suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales)
    Family Delphinidae (dolphins)
        Genus Delphinus
            Delphinus delphis (Common Dolphin)
        Genus Globicephala
            Globicephala macrorhynchus (Short-finned Pilot Whale)
        Genus Grampus
            Grampus griseus (Risso's Dolphin)
        Genus Lagenorhynchus
            Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (White-sided Dolphin)
        Genus Lissodelphis
            Lissodelphis borealis (Northern Right Whale Dolphin)
        Genus Orcinus
            Orcinus orca (Orca or Killer Whale)
        Genus Pseudorca
            Pseudorca crassidens (False Killer Whale)
        Genus Stenella
            Stenella attenuata (Pacific Spotted Dolphin)
            Stenella coeruleoalba (Blue and White Dolphin)
        Genus Steno
            Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed Dolphin)
        Genus Tursiops
            Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenosed Dolphin)
    Family Phocoenidae (porpoises)
        Genus Phocoena
            Phocoena phocoena (Harbor Porpoise)
        Genus Phocoenoides
            Phocoenoides dalli (Dall's Porpoise)
    Family Physeteridae (sperm whales)
        Genus Kogia
            Kogia breviceps (Pygmy Sperm Whale)
            Kogia sima (Dwarf Sperm Whale)
        Genus Physeter
            Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm Whale)
    Family Ziphiidae (beaked whales)
        Genus Berardius
            Berardius bairdii (Baird's Beaked Whale or North Pacific Bottle-nosed Whale)
            Mesoplodon carlhubbsi (Hubbs' or Moore's Beaked Whale, or Arch-beaked Whale)
            Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's Beaked Whale)
            Mesoplodon ginkgodens (Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale)
            Mesoplodon hectori (Hector's Beaked Whale)
        Genus Mesoplodon
            Mesoplodon stejnegeri (Stejneger's,  North Pacific, or Bering Sea Beaked Whale)
        Genus Ziphius
            Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier's Beaked Whale or Goose-beaked Whale)
Suborder Mysticeti
    Family Eschrichtidae (gray whale)
        Genus Eschrichtius
            Eschrichtius robustus (Gray Whale)
    Family Balaenopteridae (rorquals)
        Genus Balaenoptera
            Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Minke Whale)
            Balaenoptera borealis (Sei Whale)
            Balaenoptera brydei (Bryde's Whale)
            Balaenoptera musculus (Blue Whale)
            Balaenoptera physalus (Fin Whale or Finback Whale)
        Genus Megaptera
            Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback Whale)
    Family Balaenidae (right whales)
        Genus Balaena
            Balaena glacialis (Northern Right Whale)
            Balaena glacialis japponica (Pacific Right Whale)